Macedonia passed a law allowing the display of the Turkish flag in areas where the Turks form the majority, the Anatolia news agency reported over the weekend. Parliament on Friday approved the measure by 50 votes to four after two weeks of fierce debate.

Macedonian law allows Albanian flag to be flownMacedonia passed a law on Friday allowing ethnic Albanians to display the Albanian national flag in areas where they form the majority. The law allows the Albanian flag to be hoisted on public buildings alongside the Macedonian flag in areas where Albanians make up more than half the population, which applies to 16 of the country's 84 municipalities. Under the Western-brokered deal, the rebels agreed to lay down their arms and enter politics in return for greater rights for the 25-percent ethnic Albanian minority. The accord has taken four years to reach completion, having been passed piece-by-piece by an often hostile parliament. Nationalists say Macedonia has conceded too much to the ethnic Albanian minority and risks widening the ethnic divide. The European Union has said full passage of the deal is essential to Macedonia's membership application. The government, which includes a party that emerged from the rebel army, hopes to secure EU candidate status next year. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said implementation of the peace deal "has underpinned a process of rapid normalisation of the situation". He noted that language rights might still have to be ironed out.